Where's the pit bull? American Kennel Club says German shepherd most popular dog in Detroit

Froggy is one of the pit bulls saved from a dog fighting ring on the east side of the state and rehabilitated at the Kent County Humane Society.File photo

And Detroit's most popular dog breed is without a doubt the...

(drum roll)

Not the pit bull?

According to the American Kennel Club, which each year uses registration information data to compose a list of the "most popular" breeds throughout the country, including in Detroit, named the German shepherd Detroit's most popular dog in 2012.

"Yeah, that's not exactly what I'm seeing coming into our facility,"
Hatman said. "I would probably say (pit bulls) are the most-owned dog
in the city of Detroit.

"A lot of people tend to use them as guard dogs, unfortunately, to protect their property."

Nearly 35 percent of all the animals taken into the Detroit Humane Society are pit bull-breed dogs, said Hatman.

Hatman said, based on his observations, German shepherds and beagles are also quite popular in the city.

Pit
bull is a classification that usually includes American Pit Bull
Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and Staffordshire Bull
Terriers. If they are being licensed as "pit bulls" in Detroit rather
than the actual breed names, that may be the reason they're not counted
in the "most popular" list.

MLive Detroit attempted to contact the American Kennel Club to gain a
better understanding of their ranking system, but hasn't been able to
reach a representative for comment as of 1 p.m. Friday.

MLive
Detroit made several attempts to learn how dogs are classified when
licensed in Detroit but has been unable to speak with a city
representative on the process as of 1 p.m. Friday.